R27 v Sydney | Sunday 26th April | 5:00pm

We've massively underperformed given our player stocks, if that's what you mean. And we can't blame an out-of-touch coach and more: just mental laziness from talented professionals. To do no better than Ricky, with Burns, A-rod and Roly, is shameful.

I was once given a very good analogy.

If you have a flat tyre, you still have 3 good ones so fix the flat 1 and you'll be off again. Slashing the other 3 cause 1 is flat, does not fix the problem.

Reading here, it seems like a few folk prefer the other 3 were slashed too...

However, should Brisbane win in Adelaide and then at Victory the following week; we will have to beat City at home, then Sydney away before we have a HOME FINAL against Brisbane.  One can but dream (but it does mean we should hope that Brisbane do the business in the next two games).

All top 4 teams could say that though. Adelaide were 2nd 3 rounds ago. 

That's a ridicioulous statement. 

Yeah, fair point that - every other team has stumbled; even Victory against Newcastle. Unfortunately we stumbled one too many times yesterday. This last 4 weeks hasn't reflected our season, which is why I think people are frustrated. 

Yeah, cause that approach worked for Chelsea and John Terry in the '08 Champions League final.

Ernie has given them a public serve and I expect he'll give the regular pen takers the opportunity to redeem themselves.

It works if you want to drive on Railway tracks though!!

Our player stocks are the same as they have been. As far as I know, we have always spent the salary cap. Therefore Ricki's squads were just as expensive as Merrick's. Credit should be going to Merrick for getting a good squad together.

I think Doloras has finally snapped

Sam pointed this out in the NZ Herald the other day.

I think the long weekend has sent some people mad. We finished fourth because we weren't consistent enough. That's quite easy to accept isn't it? at times we played the best football seen at this club but the teams above us managed to put it together more consistently. We had bad performances throughout the season. Some of the more recent games were against very good sides who deservedly finished above us. It's not "accepting mediocrity", it's accepting that we weren't good enough often enough. Lucky for us playoffs gives us one more chance to find some consistency. I'd expect to be better next season if the bulk of this squad stays and learns from this season, so no, a clean out is pure crazy.

If you guys are going to be disappointed when we come 4th then prepare for a lot of disappointment. The fact is that we are a small team in one of the smallest markets in the competition. We have far less resources than most of the other teams. The only teams who didn't have marquees this season were us, Newcastle and Central Coast. For Doloras to say we had abetter squad than 4th is just factually incorrect. Other teams spent more money on their squads than we did. 

I don't think the players should be happy with 4th but I don't think the players are happy with 4th. This season winning the competition was always going to be a long shot. What I wanted from the team was to show that they are building to something special. When you consider that Roly and Burns are signed up for another season there is no reason to think we shouldn't do any better next season. 

When you are a small team you are going to have your ups and downs. I don't think a small market team can aim to dominate a competition year in, year out. What you have to do is set yourself a target of a year when your best players have reached maturity. In that season you need to go all in. This also means that you need to have rebuilding years. Last season we were shark but we all saw enough to think that this year would be better. 

Next season if THE season. Next season will probably be the last one for Sigmund and Durante. Roly aand Burns are unlikely to be here in two years time either. Players like Fenton, A-Rod may feel that Europe is beckoning. Lia and Moss will probably retire as well. This means we should be at our absolute best in 15/16 and by the team 16/17 rolls around we will probably be quite average again.

I will be very disappointed if Merrick doesn't win a title in the next 3 years in Wellington. However, I understand that there is a larger goal than simply the last 4 weeks. Being disappointed with how we have been playing is natural but we have to remember the big picture.

Why had Fenton to defend that attack? Cant not remember how Ibini got the ball in the first place.

I was just pointing out what was said. It should have been Boxall defending, but he had pushed up and did not get back.

By overall if you had of said would we achieve 4th this year back in October I would have thought yeah that seems ok. As the season progressed my expectations  changed as did many peoples, thats why I would have thought the talk from Ernie about finishing in the top six should have got the shunt earlier, and new "public goals" made. Nothing focuses you on goals as having lots of people know them. 

Perhaps Ernie realised the challenges of the draw near to the end of the season and kept his expectations in check, while some supporters didn't and elevated theirs?

Two very good posts in reply.

Damn and blast you 2B with your logic!

We beat both Sydney and Melbourne away this season.

I see the squad as a work in progress in what is only Ernie's second season in charge.

Good job in making the Finals as fourth team in the regular season after being in reach of first or second place in the last month.

But the squad isn't strong enough to seriously challenge for the title yet.

Ernie has done very well to achieve what he has with quite a limited group of players by getting some to play in positions they are not accustomed to etc.

We are quite deficient in some important areas:

- we only have one A-League quality fullback (Manny  - who seems on the decline). Doyle and Fenton I see more as bench players going forward. Boxall will be better used as a centre back in future.

- the squad has only one out-and-out striker in the inconsistent Krishna (who isn't good enough to rely on as the sole starting striker). Burns is better playing deeper and had only a modest goal-scoring record before this season. Ernie has done wonders to get the goals out of him  but maybe Burns finds it hard now to keep up the consistency. They signed Ryan Griffiths who is an out-and-out striker but he didn't last long. To complement Burns, McGlinchey etc. they need a Shane Smeltz or Besart Berisha type striker who is more direct and a reliable goal-scorer.  

- they need to strengthen the midfield with a couple of creative players who can chip in with some goals. Bonavacia has been converted from a strictly defensive midfielder (sometimes even a centeback in his time in Holland) to a much  more attacking player. However, he has said in interviews that getting forward and scoring goals doesn't come naturally to him. Maybe he'd do better to revert to his usual more defensive duties in tandem with some more creative midfielders. McGlinchey would do better out on the right as he was at the Mariners, rather than centrally as Ernie has him.

- sign anyone from Auckland City or Team Wellington (but not Ian Hogg) just on the basis that they are good penalty takers. Having seen the O-League Final last night, there are lots of good penalty takers in those two sides  - except for Hogg whose effort was abysmal...Both sides also had players who could send in a decent corner...

In reply to Doloras, our squad isn't that good - they are about middle table. How many of our players would make Victory, Sydney or Adelaide first teams? not many I reckon. I think we need some really good fullbacks to really compete with these teams. Of course, on our day we can beat them still. 

Again, Ernie kept his in check. Others didn't.

I was hopeful we would beat Victory and Sydney FC at home but not expectant.

Burns, Roly, WeeMac, Dura... perhaps Siggy, Riera and A-Rod.

Note who I'm not bagging. Others have been right to say that Burns has been marked tighter than a nun's naughties (can't explain the penno failure); and Krishna showed his inexperience, but that can be fixed. As I say, it's Dura, Siggie and Mannie whom I'm really disappointed in, for sheer lack of mental toughness.

From quick clearance from one of our corners, which surprisingly enough their keeper caught.

Off the field I wonder what people think of...

The number of ******* who are continually wandering about during play going for drinks and food and drinks and food and drinks and food... It was the worst, in our experience, since day one last night. This was in aisle 24. 

As an aside. I've watched football in about ten countries and never seen the like anywhere else.

•  Is it a New Zealand thing? 
• Are attention spans getting shorter?
•  Is alcohol, the be all and end all?

Agree that FBs are our weakness but I Though Fenton was coming around since the break.

Yes, Yes and Yes!!!!!!

It always amazes me that NZ crouds are so fidgety. I am not sure why people can't sit in one spot for 45 minutes and actually watch what they paid $35 to see. I reckon its "TV lounge syndrome". Kiwis now have the attention span tuned into commercial TV. i.e with ads every 12 minutes they are programmed to continually get up and go to the fridge and stuff their fat faces.

As you said, in Europe people stay seated  to watch the action. Less emphasis on eating and drinking there too!

I came down from auckland, caught foul cold/flu, watched game in Bethel Woods with not another soul in the house after you guys cleared out feeling like sharke wiv the fudgeing wind howling outside but giving game full attention at same time thinking (esp after Roly's miss) would I do this again? I mean really?

tl;dr

Feel like I need a drink.

Maybe we're more traditional here in Canterbury, but punters at Canterbury United games rarely get up to buy food and drink during the game but wait until halftime...even when the team have been crap like this season.

Same when there are bigger crouds at Phoenix and All Whites games in Chch.

Haven't a clue what goes on at Crusaders games in Chch because I haven't been to a rugby game since 1983 (and I only went then to see the AB's play the Lions because some mates from Nelson wanted to go...) 

Would disagree with that. Half our team would potentially make Sydney and Adelaide.

Every squad in the A-League have positions they are deficient in.

Riera is the best DM in the league next to Milligan, Roly would make any team, Burns would make any team, Dura would make most teams - Melbourne included..

I think the main thing we are missing (aside from full-backs, but that is a league wide problem) is a true striker to take the pressure off the likes of Burns. Roly shouldn't have this much pressure on him to score goals too considering that's not what we signed him for.

And every other A-League squad has mature guys competing for first team places, not kids backing up. Yes?

Taking Victory as an example; they brought Connor Pain, Scott Galloway and Mahazi off the bench against CCM. Hardly 'mature' seasoned pros. 

Having Archie is a bit of an advantage, though; we had someone like that in Griffiths so it's disappointing he got injured. He was our Plan B.

One player = plan Z